Bluebook Review 1 Cases Experiential Legal Writing I Fall 2016 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Bluebook Review 1 – Cases

Experiential Legal Writing I – Fall 2016

Case Citation - Format

• Rule B10.1 (pages 10 – 17)
• A full case citation includes
• 1. Case Name (Italicize or Underline) – B10.1.1
• 2. Location (volume, reporter, page) – B10.1.2
• 3. A pinpoint page number – B10.1.2
• 4. A parenthetical indicating Court and Year of Decision – B10.1.3

(may also include subsequent history and other parenthetical information)

• Must use a full citation if you cite the case for the first time!!!

Case Citation – 1. Case Name

Steps for Case Name

• 1. Use only the first party listed for each side
• 2. For individuals, use only last names
• 3. Omit words indicating multiple parties and alternative names
• No “et al.”, “a.k.a”, “d/b/a”
• 4. Omit “The” when it is the first word in a party name.
• 5. Use T6 & T10 for abbreviation. Rule 10.2 provides more guidance
• n abbreviation.
• Do not abbreviate “United States” when it is a named party

Case Citation – 1. Case Name

Example

• Travelers Insurance Company et al. v. Tom Jones and Tim Jones
• Step 1 – Use only the first party on each side
• Drop “Tim Jones”
• Step 2 – For individuals, use only last names
• Drop “Tom”
• Step 3 – Omit words indicating multiple parties and alternative names
• Drop “et al.”

Case Citation – 1. Case Name

Example

• Travelers Insurance Company et al. v. Tom Jones and Tim Jones
• Step 4 - Omit “The” when it is the first word in a party name.
• (not applicable to this example)
• Step 5 – Use T6 & T10 for abbreviation
• T6 says
• Insurance = Ins.
• Company = Co.
• Travelers Ins. Co. v. Jones

Case Citation – 2. Location

• Volume, Reporter abbreviation, First Page
• To determine which reporter to cite, find your jurisdiction and court

in BlueBook Table T1.

• Your electronic research platform (Westlaw, Lexis Advance, etc.) also

provides the case’s reporter citation

Case Citation – 3. Pinpoint Page Number

• If you are citing a specific page, you must include a pinpoint citation

(aka “pincite”)

• Place a comma after the page on which the case begins. Then place

your pinpoint citation (space btw the comma & your pincite)

• See Rule 3.2 if you pincite multiple pages
• Let’s say you want to cite page 840 of the Longhi case (screenshot

from the previous slide). Its reporter citation is 914 N.E.2d 834

• Thomas Longhi v. Loius Mazzoni and Lorraine Mazzoni
• Longhi v. Mazzoni, 914 N.E.2d 834, 840

Case Citation – 4. Court & Year

• Must provide the court and the year of decision in a parenthetical
• Use T1 to see how your court is abbreviated
• Indiana – page 263
• Longhi was decided in 2009 by the Court of Appeals of Indiana
• T1 says Court of Appeals of Indiana = Ind. Ct. App.
• Longhi v. Mazzoni, 914 N.E.2d 834, 840 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009)

Case Citation – Example

• Lydia Escobedo, et al., Appellants (Plaintiffs below),

Versus

• BHM Health Associates, Inc., AAA Home Care LLC/Rocky Mountain

Home Care, AAA Home Care LLC/Rocky Mountain Home Care, D/B/A BHM Health Associates, Inc., Leona Bonczek, Donna Huddleston, And Lee Huddleston, Appellees (Defendants Below)

• 818 N.E.2d 930. Cite to pages 933 - 935
• Supreme Court of Indiana / 2004

Case Citation – Example

• 1. Case Name
• Omit
• Everyone except the first person/entity on each side
• First names and middle names of individuals
• Multiple parties and alternative names
• “The” if it is the first word in a party’s name
• Abbreviate
• T6
• T10

Case Citation – Example

• Lydia Escobedo, et al., Appellants (Plaintiffs below),

Versus

• BHM Health Associates, Inc., AAA Home Care LLC/Rocky Mountain

Home Care, AAA Home Care LLC/Rocky Mountain Home Care, D/B/A BHM Health Associates, Inc., Leona Bonczek, Donna Huddleston, And Lee Huddleston, Appellees (Defendants Below)

• T6 says Associate = Assoc.
• T6 also tells us to add the letter “s” for plurals
• Assoc. + s = Assocs.
• Escobedo v. BMH Health Assocs.

Case Citation – Example

• 2. Location
• 818 N.E.2d 930
• 3. Pincite
• You would like to cite pages 933 – 935
• Rule 3.2(a) says use a dash or hyphen to cite materials spanning

multiple pages. Retain the last two digits.

• 818 N.E.2d 930, 933-35
• Escobedo v. BMH Health Assocs., 818 N.E.2d 930, 933-35

Case Citation – Example

• Escobedo v. BMH Health Assocs., 818 N.E.2d 930, 933-35
• 4. Court & Year
• T1 (page 263) says Indiana Supreme Court = Ind.
• Year = 2004
• (Ind. 2004)
• Escobedo v. BMH Health Assocs., 818 N.E.2d 930, 933-35 (Ind. 2004)

Case Citation

• Question(s)?
• Contact Youngwoo Ban, Reference Librarian
• yban@indianatech.edu
• Office 169 (1st floor of the law library. Next to the

reference desk)